Noise complaints › Tempe

How to file a noise complaint in Tempe

Last updated: October 30, 2026

Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what Tempe acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.

Official text: Tempe City Code, Chapter 20 Noise, Secs. 20-1 to 20-19: 20-1 declaration of policy, 20-2 definitions, 20-3 violation established, 20-4 exemptions, 20-7 special noise sources, 20-8 construction of buildings and projects, 20-9 vehicles, 20-10 aircraft, 20-11 unnecessary noise, 20-12 commencement of action, 20-15 civil fines and penalties, 20-17 each day separate violations, 20-18 habitual offender, 20-19 nuisance abatement (Code 1967, Chapter 19A; Ord. No. 2000.01, 1-20-00; Ord. No. O2022.10, adopted March 3, 2022, which repealed 20-5, measurement criteria, and 20-6, allowable noise levels; 20-13, 20-14 and 20-16 shown as repealed, with no repealing ordinance named; 20-8 last amended by Ord. No. O2024.19, 9-5-24). Also Chapter 5 Amusements, Article III Nuisance Parties and Unlawful Gatherings, Secs. 5-30 to 5-36 (Ord. No. 94.29, 12-8-94; Ord. No. 2003.29, 10-30-03; Ord. No. 2011.56, 11-3-11; Ord. No. 2013.30, 6-13-13; Ord. No. O2025.15, 5-1-25, which amended 5-32 and 5-34 and is the only history line on 5-36); Chapter 21 Nuisances and Property Enhancement, Sec. 21-3(b)(17) and (19) (history through Ord. No. O2026.20, 5-14-26), Article I-A Community Impact/Chronic Nuisance Properties, Secs. 21-14A to 21-19A (Ord. No. O2025.15, 5-1-25), and Secs. 21-41 and 21-42 (enforcement and penalties). Text read on Municode, the City's code host, on 2026-10-30, when it showed Supplement 34 Update 1, online content updated October 13, 2026..

Where to file in Tempe

Call the Tempe Police Department's non-emergency line, 480-350-8311, about a loud or nuisance party (the code has police respond to them, 5-32), and 911 in an emergency; the Police Department's page lists "EMERGENCY: Dial 9-1-1" and "NON-EMERGENCY: Dial 480-350-8311". Tempe 311 (480-350-4311, Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., also online and by app) takes non-emergency city service requests; its page does not mention noise, and it says "For a police non-emergency, please call 480-350-8311." Neither page names a channel for other noise, and the noise chapter does not say which department enforces it; under the code, barking dogs and other Chapter 21 nuisances go to the Community Development Department, and construction outside the permitted hours to the Community Development Director or, for engineering projects, the Public Works Director, who may order the work stopped (21-41, 20-8(f)). A nuisance party is an assembly of persons for a social activity or special occasion that substantially disturbs the quiet enjoyment of private or public property, including by excessive noise (5-31); an officer who responds and finds a threat to the public peace, health, safety or general welfare issues a written notice, and the responsible persons are assessed a police service fee (5-32(a)). A second police response to the same address within 90 days of the first, and a third within 365 days of the second, are charged as second and third responses under the fee schedule (5-32(b)), which is progressive with the number of repeats (5-34(a)), and the fee may be raised a level if minors in possession or consumption, illegal drugs, weapons or felonious conduct are found (5-32(c)); the fee amounts are in a schedule adopted by the City Council, Appendix A, which is not part of the chapter text (5-31, 5-34(a)). The property owner is notified by certified mail, and on request the landlord must give the names of the occupants on the lease (5-32(a)(3)). For a barking dog or other noisy animal, an action may not be started unless a petition is signed by at least two witnesses in separate households with independent knowledge of the nuisance, though the petition may be waived if the circumstances and evidence otherwise support enforcement (21-3(b)(19)). A case under the noise chapter starts with a citation delivered to the occupant of the property, the owner of record or any person responsible (20-12). Penalties: a civil fine of $100 to $1,000 for a noise chapter violation, plus a $50 default penalty for failing to appear; each day is a separate offense; a judgment can become a lien on the owner's property; and a violation after three civil findings within 24 months is charged as a criminal misdemeanor (20-15, 20-17, 20-18). Chapter 21 nuisances carry civil fines under the Council's fine schedule, totaling no more than $2,000 per day for each property, or may be charged as a Class 1 misdemeanor (21-42(b), (c)); a property found responsible for three or more nuisance party or unlawful gathering violations within 12 months can be designated a community impact property, after which each excessive call for service brings a $500 civil penalty (21-14A(a)(2), 21-17A(a)). Sources: https://www.tempe.gov/government/police and https://www.tempe.gov/government/communication-and-marketing/tempe-311 (read in a browser 2026-10-30).

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-10-30. Numbers and departments change; if a line does not answer, the city's main switchboard or 311 can redirect you.

Before you call

1. Log it. Date, start and end time, what the noise was and where you heard it from. Three dated entries carry more weight than one angry call.
2. Measure it if you can. Tempe has no decibel limit, so the log is the main evidence, but a reading shows how loud it really was. The free noise log runs in your browser, records nothing, and saves a dated report.
3. Check the rule. Quiet hours in Tempe: No general quiet hours; construction near homes 5, 6 or 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., by season and day. The Tempe noise ordinance page quotes the code verbatim, so you can cite the section.
4. Try the source once. A neighbour, landlord or venue manager often fixes it faster than the city does, and telling them first strengthens a later complaint.

What happens after you file

Non-emergency noise reports are queued, not dispatched, so a first call rarely ends the noise that night. What it does is start a record against the address. Repeated reports, a dated log and a reading are what move a case from a warning to a citation. Where the city needs an officer to witness the noise, as most audibility rules require, file while it is happening rather than the next morning.

How loud is Tempe in general? The Tempe noise map shows the federal transportation-noise data for every neighbourhood, and the apartment quiet hours page compares every city's night rule.

Who do I call for a noise complaint in Tempe?

Call the Tempe Police Department's non-emergency line, 480-350-8311, about a loud or nuisance party (the code has police respond to them, 5-32), and 911 in an emergency; the Police Department's page lists "EMERGENCY: Dial 9-1-1" and "NON-EMERGENCY: Dial 480-350-8311".

What are the quiet hours in Tempe?

No general quiet hours; construction near homes 5, 6 or 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., by season and day. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Tempe noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Tempe?

Only if there is danger, a threat or a crime in progress. For ongoing noise use the non-emergency police line or the department named above; repeated calls build an official record tied to the address, which is what code enforcement acts on.

What evidence helps a noise complaint in Tempe?

Tempe has no decibel limit: the test is whether the noise is unreasonable, so a log of dates, times, durations and where you could hear it from matters more than a meter reading, though a reading still helps.

This page is a plain-language guide to the reporting route, not legal advice. Ordinances and contact numbers get amended; check the linked official sources before relying on a specific provision.